Srinagar, Dec 6: Despite clear-cut directions and order from the High Court, the superintendent of Kotebhalwal Jail Jammu did not allow a final year under-graduate student of Government Degree College, Pulwama to sit in the annual examination, which commenced from December 4.
 It was on September 15 this year that police arrested Muhammad Maqbool Bhat son of Ghulam Muhammad of Chewa Kalan in Pulwama on charges of stone pelting from Kralpora.
 Family members said Maqbool with his two friends was on way to the residence of his grandparents at Dooniwara in Chadoora.
 Maqbool’s brother Sajad Ahmad said there were protests against National Conference workers at Kralpora.
 “The protesters were from adjoining areas of the Kralpora. But police arrested my brother, who belongs to another district,” he said.
 Subsequently, after his arrest Maqbool was detained under Public Safety Act and lodged at Kote Bhalwal Jail Jammu.
 The mother of the detainee later filed an application before the High Court seeking direction to the state government to shift the detainee from Kotebalwal jail Jammu to Central Jail Srinagar. Besides, she prayed that the detainee should be allowed to sit in the examination.
 After admitting the petition, the court of Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar on Friday directed the state government to take all necessary steps to enable Maqbool to sit in the examination.
 Attar said, “Right to equip oneself with the education is a basic human right and is essential ingredient of philosophy of laws of the land.”
 He issued notice to the state government returnable within three weeks.
 The copy of the order was sent to the Kotebalwal authorities.
 However, police officials there did not honour the court order and denied the detainee the right of education on the day of commencement of his first paper which was today (Monday). His family said that police has no regard for court order.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 6 Dec 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 6 Dec 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 7 Dec 2010 00:00:00 IST